Local teams vie for ACG Cup

One of three student MBA teams remaining in the West Michigan Chapter of the Association for Corporate Growth Cup Competition will be named the regional winner on March 12 and compete in the Michigan Intrastate competition for a chance to win the prestigious ACG Cup.

The ACG Cup is a case study competition designed to give students from leading West Michigan MBA programs some real-world experience and invaluable insight into mergers and acquisitions, investment banking, financial advisory and private equity.

“The ACG Cup provides a unique opportunity for local MBA students,” said Nick Adamy, managing director of Adamy Valuations and the chair of the cup competition. “The program combines the academic aspects of a business school group project with the real-world intensity of a live presentation to a panel of seasoned business executives and M&A professionals.”

Teams initially competed with other groups at their own university or college in the first round of the competition on Jan. 26.

The teams from each school analyze complex business cases and present strategies including valuations, identifying capital markets, developing merger and acquisition strategic alternatives and financing options. Prominent professionals from the corporate community and ACG membership apply their industry expertise as judges for the competition.

A winning team from each school then goes on to compete in a second regional round, where the winner receives a $5,000 cash prize. Adamy said while the cash prize is attractive by itself, the students get the most from the exposure to local professionals. Adamy said the professionals involved with the Cup have realized some “positive unintended consequences” from their involvement in the program, including identifying new hires.

“We have also found that the Cup has made ACG much more accessible to younger members who in the past may have found the organization somewhat intimidating,” Adamy said. “Now they are finding ACG to be a great organization to network with other professionals and a place to gain education and insight into relevant current topics in our local business community.”

The winning team in West Michigan will be named during the 2013 ACG West Michigan Outstanding Growth Award reception at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in downtown Grand Rapids.

Both the winner in West Michigan and the runner-up will move on to the Michigan Intrastate competition March 23 to face their Detroit-area winner and runner-up for the statewide ACG Cup, not to mention an additional cash prize of $5,000.